A vehicle lift is a device operable to lift a vehicle such as a car, truck, bus, etc. Some vehicle lifts operate by positioning arms under the vehicle. The arms may be pivotably coupled with a yoke to support the frame, axle, wheel, or the like of the vehicle. The yoke may be attached to one of two posts. The posts may be fixed in a location on each side of the vehicle. Each yoke may be attached to the posts in such a way that the yokes may actuate up and down on each post relative to the ground. Accordingly, the yokes may be raised or lowered to bring the vehicle to a desired height. Afterward, the vehicle may then be lowered once the user has completed his or her task requiring the vehicle lift. In some cases, the vehicle lift may include a locking mechanism. Such a locking mechanism may prevent the vehicle lift from suddenly dropping a load, by progressively locking the vehicle lift at various heights as the yokes are raised relative to the ground. However, in some locking mechanisms, the locking mechanism of the vehicle lift may not fully engage until the load is lowered slightly. By adding an indicator system to the vehicle lift it may be possible for a user to quickly ascertain whether the vehicle lift is in the locked position (i.e., whether the load is being borne by the locking mechanism).
Examples of vehicle lift devices and related concepts are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,983,196, entitled “Electronically Controlled Vehicle Lift and Vehicle Services System,” issued Jan. 3, 2006, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pub. No. 2011/0097187, entitled “Vehicle Guidance System for Automotive Lifts,” published Apr. 28, 2011, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,287, entitled “Vehicle Lift,” issued Apr. 23, 1991, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 6,964,322, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Synchronizing a Vehicle Lift,” issued Nov. 15, 2005, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 7,150,073, entitled “Hinge Pin,” issued Dec. 19, 2006, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; and U.S. Pub. No. 2004/0011594, entitled “Overhead Assembly for Vehicle Lift,” published Jan. 22, 2004, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
While a variety of vehicle lifts have been made and used, it is believed that no one prior to the inventor(s) has made or used an invention as described herein.
The drawings are not intended to be limiting in any way, and it is contemplated that various embodiments of the invention may be carried out in a variety of other ways, including those not necessarily depicted in the drawings. The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements shown.